Where does your money & donations go?

People sometimes ask us where their donations go... It is easy to quickly say 25 vaccines run about $300 (and puppies alone get 3 sets of vaccines) or a box of microchips is over $200... Or that our electricity bill each month is always over $1,000+... 

Someone told me last week I should actually post photos of some of our expenses so folks could actually see for themselves the kinds of monies TLC puts out to take care of these 'last chancers' in order for them to find their own furever home... 

While this is not a typical food run because we needed to replenish our Vetricyn wound treatment along with the ear and eye washes we use routinely.  

But is not that far off from what we spend every 10 days... So deduct about $100 and you'll see where your donations go to three times a month!   And you don't even want to see our vet bills!

This is why each and EVERY little donation means so very much to us...

THANK YOU for supporting No-Kill at TLC!

Major shout-out to GS troop 60683!

Tonia and Girl Scout Troop #60683 have been big supporters of TLC and the cause... The girls came in faithfully and helped us socialize the Yucca Valley dogs we saved from the horrible hoarding situation... 

And then they gathered a HUGE amount of donations from our wish list... And it was Christmas in May when they brought all the donations into the rescue shop... It tickled me later when I was putting away a bottle of fabric softener so I just had to post this!

WAY TO GO, TROOP #60683 AND THANK YOU!

It's official - Big Momma is CGC certified now!

...."and like a phoenix, she arose from the ashes..."

For those that either volunteer with TLC or follow our blog and rescue happenings, I am very happy (and proud) to report that Big Momma (AKA Lemoncello) has passed another major milestone in her life... She (and I) just passed the AKC CGC certification (Canine Good Citizen)... 

I started working with Momma shortly before her puppies were weaned and getting ready to be adopted... 

I thought she 'had what it takes' but I was not so sure I still 'had what it takes'... It has been a LONG time since I've had a rescue dog certified... 

And because of the hours I spend at the rescue shop, there are not a lot of hours left in a day past sleeping to provide for training... 

Twice I scheduled the testing to then push back because I believed we could not pass... And I wanted to pass the FIRST time (my own personal pride and vanity showing here)... Last week I got it in my head that I needed to stop thinking and worrying --- and JUST DO IT!

She was scheduled for 11AM yesterday at the back of the rescue shop... I'd been working a lot with Momma around the mall - dealing with delivery trucks, lots of the general public walking around, kids, distractions, etc.  I'd started the beginning of March and although I did not put in as much time as I wanted, I felt pretty confident we'd reach the point of trying for the certification... 

There is no gray with me - everything is either black or white... You passed or you failed... I either love you with everything I got, or I don't... There is no halfway measures with me, and Momma has been the main sources of comfort and devotion for the past few months... She's so gosh darned 'huggable' and each new command I taught her has turned me into a stage mom or overly proud furparent!  "Let me show you Momma's new trick" and more times than not, she'd not do it on command... What a goober she's been!  (smile)... 

So although it was scheduled and I was pretty sure what was coming, about 10AM I started to REALLY get nervous about all of this... Things I had planned on refreshing or getting done became impossible to achieve as other folks' schedules changed... I asked Shallan, a long time volunteer at the rescue shop, to come outside and do a 50' free recall with Momma... Momma did fine with just a tiny bit of hesitation so my heart dropped to my ankles... UT OH... Maybe I should reschedule again?  No, Linda... stick with the plan... 

By the time we started certifying Momma, I was a bundle of nerves inside... Why?  I do not know - not something I see in myself very frequently... And I had told no one that I'd been planning this for weeks in case I failed Momma or she failed me... 

She passed - "with no hesitation" according to the instructor, Alan... I was a bit too heavy handed and tight with the lead... A few weeks ago Momma had gotten into the habit of wanting to be ahead of me on the walk and I'd been working hard on having her at my knee in a tight heel command...

Because of my own physical health issues recently between the neck brace and right wrist brace, I wasn't in as tight of command of her as I like to be... And I think I over compensated for that with Momma during the testing...   She's still a puppy at 18 months and now at 70 pounds, she can be 570 pounds when she decides it is play time!  LOL... 

But I am SO proud of her... It is one thing off of my bucket list that I have wanted for a long, long time... And the more you want something or the more you talk about it, it seems that you are less likely to get it (or at least I have found in my life)... 

Now onto bigger and better things!

CONGRATULATIONS, MOMMA!

For more details on this, see the resources below:

• Alan Heiger - AKC CGC testor & dog trainer - EMAIL
• American Kennel Club - CGC program
• What is Canine Good Citizen - from WikiPedia
• Therapy Dog Training Organizations

BIG THANKS!

BIG THANKS and appreciation goes out to Teri C., a supporter of TLC for many years.  Recently she found a rebate on Hill's Ideal Balance dog kibble for up to $12.99.  And as Unleashed sells the bag for $11.99, she bought a bag, brought it to the shop and then applied for the refund... 

Talk about a deal, huh?  Help to save a dog and provide food, but it really doesn't cost you anything but the time and effort to buy the food and send in your receipt.

In case you'd like to do the same thing, this is where the rebate info is located:  http://www.hillspet.com/ideal-balance/ideal-balance-dog-food.html#5  and the actual form is here:  http://www.hillspet.com/pdf/en-us/IB_DOG_REBATE_2013_v2.pdf

THANK YOU, TERI C...
OUR DOGS LUV YA
FOR YOUR SUPPORT
AND EFFORTS IN
SAVING THEIR LIVES!

Luna's Tail... Tale

It takes a community to save a dog's life... While a dog might become a hard case because of just one owner and their inability to do the right thing, it will always take a community to right those wrongs done to a dog - and such is the case of Luna, a new rescue saved by TLC...

Five different folks emailed me about Luna and although we are just too full for comfort, I finally gave in on the fifth email and set up transportation from the high kill shelter to TLC... Dennis, from Animal Resources (#1), drove to Devore and pulled Luna from there, then drove her from the certain death to our rescue shop...

Luna arrived in very poor shape, but very sweet... We gave her a few days to adjust to our routine, sounds, smells and us before tackling her...

Niki (#2) from the TLC Bathing Brigade began the process - even Luna's ears had long mats and tangles hanging down... I've seen some bad cases, but Luna's coat is one of the worst I've seen... Scissor cutting the mats revealed they were down to the skin and it was quite painful to Luna, but she was a trooper throughout it all...

We got to the worst spots eventually - on Luna's back, down her legs and her butt... Shallan (#3) jumped in and while Niki held Luna still, Shallan started shaving the coat, tiny bit by tiny bit, as we gently started shearing away the months and months of neglect...

Some of the mats we got off were filthy underneath and stank, putrid from an inability to scratch, roll around and remove anything bothering her...

Eventually it took three of us (counting myself as #4 here in the community) to remove all of the mats - one to hold the front of Luna, another to stretch out Luna's leg to avoid any safety issues and the third to actually use the shaver to remove the mats... sigh...

Once freed of the massive amounts of mats and crap in her coat, we treated the skin immediately to relieve some of Luna's suffering... And then Niki did a medicated bath followed by a special conditioner to soothe skin and work on the dry coat...  

We gave Luna more treats, her breakfast and a break from the process to regenerate, run around, relax...

Later when Arissa came in (#5) and the rescue shop settled down and was quiet, Arissa started to perform her 'magic' and work on Luna's remaining coat...

Again, Luna was sweet and a major trooper through all of the scissor cutting by hand, trying to turn a clean but horribly chopped coat into a work of art... The coat will grow back in of course, and if adopted to the right kind of owner, Luna will be a showcase of beauty...

Today Luna is going in to be spayed, microchipped and get her rabies shot... Then she'll go up for adoption and we know someone very special will fall in love with this bundle of sweetness...

Yep, it takes a community to save a dog's life... And the TLC volunteers are the best around!

The young die early

We are CONSTANTLY asked "Why so many Chihuahuas?" at the rescue shop and we always respond (pretty much) the same way - "Because TLC concentrates on the small dog breeds that are being killed at our local shelters or on tomorrow's kill list... "... I myself add another comment to this - "These are all dead dogs and puppies walking that you see here - every one of these little ones was scheduled to die..."

Some people shake and shudder, express disgust or horror and then eventually work their way around the circle in the rescue shop and leave, leaving behind the horror we TLCers deal with day in, and day out.

The general public believes if they take either a mom with pups or just the pups to their local shelter, they are insuring these canines live... It couldn't be further from the truth... Under California law it is LEGAL to kill any animal that cannot be spayed or neutered and then be adopted... Shelters do not have the capabilities to set aside a place for a mom to stay, give birth or to raise their young until the litter can be spayed or neutered.  A litter without a mom must be bottle fed, and the mortality rate is very high despite anything and everything someone (or a rescue does).

This litter was taken into the San Bernardino shelter and killed on Saturday, May 11th.

According to the email I got,  "We look at this box of tiny puppies, their eyes not even open yet, and we ooh and aah and delight in their cuteness and innocence. They are adorable, sweet, and have their whole lives ahead of them...or not. In reality their lives have already ended thanks to a cruel and inhumane policy recently put into place at the increasingly deadly San Bernardino City Shelter. In what could be called their most callous, hateful move to date, shelter supervisors have declared that they will no longer allow staff or volunteers to contact rescues to save underage puppies or kittens dumped at the shelter without their mothers. If a rescue is present at the time the babies are impounded the rescue can take them, but if no rescue is there the puppies or kittens will be taken to the back and immediately killed."

This is REALITY, folks...

At TLC, we always take in any mother pregnant or with a litter and will find or make room because we know two things - 1) That mother didn't ask to be pregnant and it is through the stupidity of humans she is in the situation she is and 2) If TLC has enough time, space and money, these puppies and mom will grow up to an adoptable state in 2- 2 1/2 months, be spayed or neutered and fulfill the constant demand from the general public for puppies instead of adopting an adult dog that more desperately needs a furever home and has a greater chance of being left behind and not adopted.

It is simply fulfilling the law of supply and demand, and we hope by having puppies available for adoption, we will lower the inbound volumes of puppymill puppies being shipped into our state once a week from the 10 puppymill states around the country.

So the next time you walk through the rescue shop and leave without putting a few coins in our donation box.... Or ignore our plea for financial help to do what we do, remember what these little ones were like before legally they were killed on Saturday...    

Recycle for Rescue - Update

Recycle4Rescue

With the recycling efforts of the past 6 weeks (and especially all of Carol's contributions to the cause!), we were able to take enough recycling to the center to actually save the life of one dog!

That means for all of the plastic, glass and aluminum cans that WERE going in the trash for the past 6 weeks but were brought to us, a little wee's one life was saved... Rexa was spayed, her vaccines were updated, she received her rabies shot and was microchipped... with the $171.26 we received back from turning it all in!

Simply because folks took the time to collect their clean recycling and drop it off at the rescue shop, we were all (as a community) able to save that dog's life!... Pretty amazing, huh?   Almost like the Phoenix rising up out of the ashes...

So next time you get ready to throw that plastic water bottle into a trash can, think about a face or two that peers out at you from our website... It was from your recycling efforts we were able to take in this owner surrender, get her up to adoptable standards and find her a furever home!

You can bring your clean recyclables to the rescue shop at 1555 Simi Town Center, #587, Simi Valley, CA seven days a week.  Six of those days, my white pick-up quad dually will be parked in the front of the rescue shop and you can simply leave them in the back of the truck.  On Sundays, just let them know at the rescue shop you have recycling and then drive it around to the back.  If you need a receipt for your recycling, you will need to come into the rescue shop though!

THANK YOU FOR THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX AND RECYCLING FOR RESCUE!

Poll - Which are easier to train?

Which size of dog is easier to train?
	Small dogs
	Medium sized dogs
	Big dogs
pollcode.com free polls

We're too hot!

Because TLC's rescue shop is located in a high traffic mall, every week or so someone leaves their pooch in the car in the summer heat.  Not knowing exactly what to do, people come into the rescue shop to report it.

It is illegal in California to do this.  It's the law - and bear in mind - any peace officer, humane officer or animal control officer is able (legally) to break into your car to remove a pet you have left there in the heat!  Not only will you be fined, you'll have to pay to have your window or door repaired as well... plus whatever vet/hospital costs to treat your pet!

Pets suffer greatly from heat exhaustion and stroke - faster than humans do - and dogs do not have sweat glands like humans do... just a few on their feet.  They cannot perspire and rid the excess heat by panting.  As the temperatures rise, even panting can only help so much.  Heat stroke occurs when normal body mechanisms cannot keep the body's temperature in a safe range. Dogs with heavy coats, heart or respiratory troubles, those who are exercising too much in the heat, as well as overweight, very young, infant, and elderly dogs all need special consideration in the heat and have a greater likelihood of developing heat stroke.

HEAT STROKE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:

• A rapid or erratic heartbeat/pulse
• Rapid breathing, or struggling for breath
• Increased, excessive, loud, heaving, irregular panting or the sudden stopping of panting
• A very high body temperature - usually, cell damage begins to occur at body temperatures over 106 degrees
• Excessive drooling, or frothing at the mouth
• Dark red gums
• Vomiting
• Barking or whining
• Anxiety or agitation
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Lack of coordination - stumbling and/or trouble standing or walking
• An anxious, vacant, or staring expression
• Listlessness or weakness
• Shaking or seizures
• Dry mouth and nose
• Lack of urine production
• Weakness and muscle tremors
• Glazed eyes and/or dilated pupiis
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Collapse or unconsciousness

Animals showing these signs need immediate medical treatment.  So take the dog to a veterinarian or animal emergency room NOW. If your pet starts to retch and vomit, this can be a sign that the body temperature is reaching 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Soon after, the dog will go into shock, followed by possible seizures and a loss of consciousness. These are all serious signs and the dog must see a veterinarian immediately. This is an EMERGENCY! Even at the earliest stage of heat stroke, you may be fighting for your dog's life. If not treated immediately, these symptoms can be followed in minutes by collapse, seizures, coma, and death.

If untreated, hyperthermia (heat stroke) results in kidney, liver and/or heart failure. Dogs who are treated after a significant delay may survive, but could be left with permanent effects such as blood clotting disorders, metabolic abnormalities, muscle damage, and/or brain dysfunction, etc.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT HEAT EXHAUSTION AND/OR STROKE:
This is a life threatening situation and needs immediate veterinarian attention. There are a few things you can do if your vet has to call you back or on the way to the veterinarian's office or emergency room:

1. Immediately move the dog to a cooler area. Place the dog in a shady area or put a large umbrella over him/her.
2. Offer the pup small amounts of water (too much water may cause the dog to vomit and add to your pet’s dehydration).
3. If the dog will not drink of his/her own accord, then wipe the mouth area with a clean, wet cloth.
4. Sponge down the whole body, including tummy and groin area with COOL, not cold water. Cold water will cause blood vessels to constrict and will stop the heat from escaping. This could send your dog into shock from the sudden drop in body temperature.  NEVER throw buckets of water over the dog, or throw him/her into cold water, as these actions will almost certainly put the dog into shock, making the situation far worse than it already is!
5. If you do not have an electric fan, improvise one with a towel or something that will cause a draft around the wet dog; however, do not do anything that might panic him/her unnecessarily. Fanning the dog will help to cool him/her through the process of evaporation. If the dog has collapsed, continue with the above steps until professional help arrives. Be prepared to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should it become necessary. The dog needs electrolyte replacement and oral replacement is not sufficient. The electrolytes need to be replaced through intravenous (IV) administration.

"But I am just going to be 5 minutes".... How many times have we all heard this?  When it is 75 degrees outside, in 10 minutes the temperature inside your car can reach 100 degrees.  At 85 degrees, the inside of your car will reach 90 degrees in 5 minutes.  A dog's normal body temperature is 99.5 to 102.5º.  At 105 to 106º, the pet is at risk for developing heat exhaustion. If the body temperature rises to 107º, your pet has entered the critical zone of heat stroke. With heat stroke, irreversible damage and death can occur... yes, in less than 5 minutes.





Be an advocate for dogs left in cars - print out the flyers and keep in your car... See a dog in a car?  Leave it on the owner's windshield!

Luv up on a pup!

For those of you all who can't adopt a pup, we can always use donations of things we use alot of we take care of the litters that come through TLC's doors and onto furever homes... And it is a tax deduction for you as well!

Next time you are in your favorite pet shop doing for your own little furbaby, think of TLC and then drop it off at the rescue shop as you pass by... The puppies will LOVE you for it and we thank you in advance!

Cow hooves - odd thing (and maybe some folks are offended) but for puppies cutting their tiny teeth and chewing on everything in sight, this is an ideal tool to get the teeth through quickly and in turn, the swelling and uncomfortable pain is lessened.
Pitty pads as we call them... at times we go through a lot of these.  We're not picky - we'll take any brand or amount!



Puppy chew toys - At a certain point of being chewed on, we throw them away once they have sharp edges.  So we go through a lot of puppy chew toys around here!

Puppy collars - We prefer to use the snap kind simply because they are safer with rowdy howdy puppies.  Sizes from 6" up to 10" are the ones we use the most of.

Wet puppy food - We buy this by the case!  And then some!  We like Wellness Puppy in the can, but as long as it is a high quality wet puppy food, we'll take it!

Milk Replacer - We buy this in the large can and our nursing moms get it as well, so we go through a lot of this...

Again, even if it is one can of wet puppy food, we deeply appreciate the help and donations.  It is not unusual for us to have more than one litter at the rescue shop at any given time and besides being a LOT of poop and piddle, that is a LOT of puppy supplies that are used up all the time!

The "Titans"... smile...

Barkely napping

As we interact and learn more about Barkley, it is essential to us that we fix any bad habits and teach him new, good ones... Because of his massive size, he needs to be a dog easily controlled when he eventually gets adopted down the road... 

Intact dogs are not always easy to handle or live in a community environment - one of the factors county shelters deal with day in and day out...  Because all incoming dogs in TLC are quarantined when they are fresh out of the shelter, Barkley's movements were restricted greatly until we knew he was not ill or bringing in anything contagious...  

There was nothing unusual about this TLC procedure - all new dogs are kept in either one of our 6 isolation units, 8 large intake units or in the case of moms one of the 17 units we call 'window boxes' (or WBs)... If they are ill, we treat them and get them healthy until they have free access around the rescue shop... Many dogs come in with upper respiratory illnesses and need confinement, medications and twice daily nebulizer treatments until we can eliminate the URIs... 

But because of Barkley's large size, we had to make special accommodations... (smile)... And he is still VERY much a puppy... He also needs to be monitored and learn how to interact with dogs much smaller than he is... It is a process that takes time and dedication or it simply does not work... 

Momma is my dog and she too came in as a shelter dog, VERY pregnant with her 5 month old daughter, Koda... We followed the same procedure and then just prior to delivery, she came to our home and birthed her puppies... Once she was all done with that aspect of her life, Momma 'adopted' me and my family... Many followed "Big Momma" (AKA LemonCello) through our blog and FB pages as her puppies grew up and one by one, became adopted and went onto their own furever homes...

Momma asleep under my desk at the rescue shop

Once it became apparent Momma had adopted me, and I finally agreed (although I am not really a big dog person), I was determined that Momma's training would be stepped up and she'd become certified as a therapy dog... 

I have done this numerous times with MUCH smaller dogs (like 5 pounders) but throughout my career I have been asked to provide much larger sized dogs that are not put off by wheel chairs, moving doors, smells of living assisted facilities, etc... Momma is now in step 2 of 4 to becoming a master certified therapy dog... And we continue her training on a daily basis...

And because of Momma's threatening look, she has become an unbelievable ambassador to folks afraid of these 'bully' breeds... She comes with me to the rescue shop every day I work, greets folks through the swinging gate at the rescue shop and comes home with me each night... And yes, she snores as badly as my husband does at night!  And they do NOT do it in unison either, so I do have increased sleepless nights since Momma became part of our lives!

I knew ahead of time that Barkley's arrival at TLC would not only be a challenge to the rescue and its volunteers, but to me and even moreso, to Momma... She is very much a gentle giant, but she is incredibly smart and in tune to my body language now... She is almost hard wired to me and my thoughts - to the point it is scary... Because she has free roam in the rescue shop, it was critical that the meeting of these two 'titans' was under controlled environments because if the two of them did not get along, none of us could stop a dog fight should it break out... And because Barkley cannot be neutered until we are ahead of the demo, all of this caused me a lot of worry and concern... 

I questioned myself if the bond between her and I was as strong as I believed it to be... I questioned myself if my training efforts had paid off enough for her to tolerate Barkley around without aggression... And because he still has testosterone flowing through him, would he recognize the canine manners he needed to respect Momma's position and authority?  Lots of questions and worries I had prior to authorizing TLC to pull Barkley and save him... 

Once Barkley cleared medical procedures, we allowed the two titans to meet each other only under controlled, scheduled situations... Thankfully, we have several really good dog whisperers who volunteer with TLC, so it was easy enough to accomplish... 

Barkley asleep with his head on my foot

Until Barkley in his puppy ways, decided to break through not one, but two gates put up... And we had an unscheduled and unmonitored meeting between the two titans... 

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE TIME... I see Barkley come barreling around the corner and directly into my office, knowing that Momma was out and about the rescue shop... UT OH... MAJOR UT OH TIME...

Momma gave me just one look as in, "Is this OK for him to be doing?  If not, I WILL take care of it!" (and I knew she would)... I returned the look - "It's fine... Easy, Momma... Be nice..." (and she was)... 

The question we now face is who has the spot underneath my computer desk to nap it... Traditionally it has been Momma's (and it is not a big spot at all)... My office is actually a big closet, with 3 filing cabinets, a desk, my chair and a very small area to move around in... As in 3' wide and 5' long... Not a lot of space for two titans to move around in... And NOT a place I want to be if they decide to argue with each other!

This experience has been good for both of them... Barkley is learning large dog canine manners and it tests the training I have done with Momma... You never, EVER let down your guard with two large titans of this size and you must always be vigilant with any two dogs together, no matter their size, age, breed or disposition... Dogs are dogs and just like us humans, never 100% predictable... 

But as long as Barkley needs all of this extra medical and TLC are, it is essential that he continues moving forward to a dog that responds correctly and appropriately with any situation presented to him... We owe it to Barkley and to the new furparent that eventually adopts him!

Barkley and Momma together in my small office at TLC's rescue shop

Donate!

TLC is always on the virtual edge of closing down due to financial issues... When adoptions are down, our electric bill doesn't become lower... Vet bills need to be paid for sick dogs in our care... Each pregnant mom or mom with pups come with a large, upfront expense to the rescue - long before those cute, adorable puppies are available for adoption!

The easiest way to insure that TLC doesn't fold and go out of business is to set up a monthly donation to the cause... It is automatic once a month and comes out of your credit card... 

For five less Starbucks' coffee lattes a month (or $25), you can support one healthy adult dog in our care for a month... We are No-Kill, so a dog will stay with us until they find their furever home (unlike county shelters that can legally kill at 5 days or 10 days if there is an owner)...

For $50 a month, it will vaccine, microchip and license one dog in our care, which is part of the TLC adoption package...

For $100 a month, you can bailout and transport a dog from a shelter - saving their life on the spot!  In a year, you yourself can save 12 dogs... think how great that feeling will be!

Sponsor one week's food bill at TLC for all of the dogs in our rescue - $250 a month is not affordable for every one, but if only 4 people did this once a month, you'd allow us to spend that $1,000 for so many other needed items!

A monthly donation of $500 will save one mom and her litter of pups - we'll even ask you to name the puppies after those you love or have lost!

Donate $750 a month and you save one 'hard case'... a dog that was certainly going to die because of their hardship issues... 

Donate $1,000 a month and keep our electricity on and our doors open... Without this, our community loses TLC's ability to do what it does and if we falter in these cause, where do those dogs, pregnant moms and moms with litters go?

And if you can afford to donate $2,000 a month, we periodically are able to send healthy, up-to-date and vetted dogs either up North or the East Coast on transports where these small dogs are highly desired and get adopted immediately!  Between the transport cost, getting health certificates done and crate cost, we can't do this very frequently because of the money we simply don't have laying around when the opportunities present themselves.  But you could be responsible for 10 dogs going onto long lives in other parts of this country that are begging to love one of these little ones.  Pool your resources as a group at your company or church to make one transport a month happen!

Set up your monthly sponsorship below - we guarantee you these dogs and puppies will thank you for saving their lives!

Sincerely,
Linda and the TLC volunteers

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sponsor 1 month's care : $25.00 USD - monthly Chip, license, vaccinate 1 dog : $50.00 USD - monthly Bailout & save 1 dog : $100.00 USD - monthly Sponsor 1 week's food bill : $250.00 USD - monthly Save a mom & her litter : $500.00 USD - monthly Save 1 "hard case" : $750.00 USD - monthly Sponsor 1 month's electri bill : $1,000.00 USD - monthly Pay for 1 transport : $2,000.00 USD - monthly

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Hard cases" - Part 2

And then there are the moms... Few folks realize it is LEGAL under California laws to kill either a pregnant mom, mom with pups or pups alone under the age of 8 weeks... Our law says that no rescue or shelter can give away, adopt or sell any animal that is still intact (meaning they have not been spayed or neutered)...

Many people will not knowingly adopt a dog that's pregnant... Others realize their female dog is pregnant and don't want to deal with her giving birth and having those puppies to deal with... Yet others surrender their female dog with newborn puppies, believing that "everyone loves puppies... these little ones will go in no time flat!"... And finally, there are folks that go through the birthing process and then surrender the litters to the shelters once the puppies are weaned at 5 weeks old...

The shelter environment is fatal to many of these newborn pups... As hard as the shelter staff try, there is a condensed environment of 'uggly mugglies' that take out fragile pups quickly... Some shelters contact their partners immediately when they realize they have a pregnant female or when a nursing mom comes in with a litter... But until both mom and all of those puppies are able to be spayed or neutered, they are deemed 'un-adoptable' by the CA law and subject to being legally killed...  And two breeds (Chihuahua/Chihuahua mixes and Pitties) are the first that run into that ticking death clock...

Maria at the shelter when we found her

Most of our shelter partners or friends in the humane community will contact us when a preggers or mom with pups come in... They know we do not believe in spay abortions, and we will go through Heaven and Hell to find room or a foster so that a mom and her pups do not have to die... This alone makes it a 'hard case' because besides the birthing process, you have to have room and manpower to keep things sanitary for at least 8 weeks or more until the puppies are old enough and healthy enough to be spayed or neutered...

But when the mom or puppies have health issues?... They have the pleasure of being killed almost immediately...

Maria's 4 puppies

Such was the case with Maria... We were alerted a mom with 4 newborn pups was at a local shelter... All five had demo (something we do well) and although we knew at the outset this was going to be a long-term pull, we still went ahead and saved Maria and her four pups...

Maria was in pretty bad shape when we found her in 2010... She'd had demo for a LONG time to the point that we thought she'd never grow back in a full fur coat... But her four puppies?  Oh my... My heart broke when I saw how badly these pups were in their demo battle... Their poor faces were inflammed, their bodies naked and their poor pads swollen... After a month of treatment only one (Mickey) had hair growing back in...

Treating a mom with demo is one thing, but a litter at the same time?  With all of those meds and medicated baths every 2 to 3 days?  It is a TON of work and we struggled with this save, for sure...

Maria now

Eventually Maria's coat grew in beautifully as did the pups... The two girls got adopted fairly quickly but the two boys were with the rescue for a long time... In fact, Mickey is still up for adoption almost three years later and thankfully, he has a foster home that loves him dearly...

Another kind of 'hard case' is a small dog that's over five years old... Especially the closer they get to 10 in these small breeds... Despite the tinies having a life span of 15-20 years *(the smaller the breed, the longer they live), most folks won't adopt a dog that is older than 5 years...

For myself? These are my favorites!  I don't have to go through all of those potty training months and picking up non-stop poop, chewing up my favorite pair or shoes or teaching them canine manners, stopping them from the crazy puppy barking periods, teaching them obedience commands, etc...

What if canine adoption standards were applied to humans?  You shouldn't have to die if you are in your thirties or forties as a human... Most of us look forward to our 'golden years' of being sixty or seventy, hopefully making it into our eighties alive and healthy... But for these tiny breeds, the general public believe a small dog 10 years or older is nothing but vet bills... Not true... And on the other side of the coin, they are more apt to fit into a human's lifestyle easier... They are content to just be with you, sit on the couch and watch TV, build their world around you as their BFF...

Finally, we take on the broken legs, the unsocialized, the 'no-longer-wanted' dogs that were adorable as puppies and gotten on an impulse, 'thrown away' by their owners...

Baby Holly when we found her

And despite all of this, we still find the time, room and resources for those very bad 'hard cases' like Baby Holly...

A plea came in from a dear fellow rescue friend of mine, complete with video... What a sweet girl she was despite being in horrible, horrible pain from all of her health issues... Ahead of time I knew we were probably looking at having to remove her left eye eventually, but that didn't stop the 'little rescue that could'...

BabyHolly had a skull cap of scab and pus with her entire head torn apart by secondary infections spawned by the demo she had had since she was but a wee pup... It had spread almost across her entire body and into her left eye... Her poor feet were swollen to the point she could not walk on them... So sad... So very, very sad... 

4 weeks into treatment

We took on Baby Holly in the fall of 2011 (and yes, she's still with us and up for adoption - sigh)...  I've seen some bad health issues, but simply doing those medicated baths every 2 days gave me nausea every time... The skull cap of scab and infection needed to be softened up with warm compresses and purged... The smell was absolutely dreadful (and I have a fairly strong stomach)... More than once BabyHolly patiently sat on my kitchen counter under the towel with the meds working on her skin as I puked up in the sink... She'd give me this look as if to say, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I can't help how it smells and looks... " and my heart would break all over again...

We got BabyHolly up and running - well enough to be spayed - and her coat looking so much better... She'll always have a scar across the side of her head from the skull cap, but we were able to save her left eye...

And still she's with us, a year later, with no one willing to adopt her and give her a great furever home... Because we are No-Kill, BabyHolly will stay with us (and ALIVE with love and care) until she's adopted... She's beautiful now, but because she's a black dog, they are the last to be adopted... And we know this going in on each and every hard case that is black...

It doesn't stop us from doing what we do... What stops us in TLC is a lack of volunteers willing to put in the time to run the rescue shop and financial donations to pay the electric bill, vet bills, bailout fees, etc.

If you would like to read about more TLC 'hard cases', simply CLICK HERE.

If you'd like to become a shopkeeper volunteer, we'd LOVE to have you.

And if you can't volunteer hours, maybe you can donate towards the cause of saving these hard cases!

"Hard cases" - Part 1

Rescues are not all created the same... We might all appear to be the same outside, but I can tell you after almost 32 years in doing this now, we aren't... Besides the different requirements by each one, and what their standard procedures in what is included with each dog or puppy in their care, there is also a different mindset in each one...

Some rescues are 'breed-specific' and specialize in one or two breeds - and even then, don't always take in mixes of their breed... Others so what we call 'cherry-picking'... Taking on only the most adoptable pets out of shelters for a quick turn-around... Some rescues are completely foster-based and do mobile adoptions once a week... Others like TLC are a combination of many things, but TLC is the only full time, volunteer-based rescue in Ventura County... We are open 7 days a week at the rescue shop, and that takes a LOT of energy, sweat equity, money and devotion to make it run smoothly, day in and day out... 

One thing that is common with all of the rescues is that saving these dogs and puppies out of high kill shelters is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle given to you by someone else who has already opened the box and either decided it was too hard to be put together or simply doesn't want it any longer... Sad to say it so bluntly, folks... But that is the honesty of what we do... 

TLC's mission statement is to save one 'hard case' for every four... Throughout the years, we have probably exceeded this far above our 1 to 4 ratio... And on the average we still turn away at least 30 small dogs each day that we know are going to die in all probability... 

It is said you can't save them all and each time I hear that, I mentally say to myself, "Why not?"... Are we not caring and compassionate human beings by our nature deep down inside?... I have no answers, but continue to plug away at doing what we can to march towards No-Kill... Where no healthy, adoptable small dog does not have to die... 

The other thing unique about TLC is that we save dogs and puppies off of the kill lists... Because the number one breed on any shelter's kill list is dogs classified as "Chihuahua", we save the hardest breed to find adoptive homes for... When there is a glut on any market of anything, it is the easiest to find, the quickest to be thrown away and has the lowest value - be it a pet rock or a knock-off fashion piece... 

If we saved the hardest-to-find breeds, we'd have the general public beating a pathway to our door... It is just how things work... 

And a common misconception in the general public is that if they themselves cannot afford the vet care for their pet, and take it to a local shelter, the pet will get the necessary medical care... For the majority of times, this doesn't happen... Shelters are bursting at the seams on a daily basis and their resources (like ours) are always stretched to the max... 

Abby at the shelter being turned in

So I am taking this time here to explain 'hard cases' to those who have asked... Every time I have walked into a shelter or said 'yes' to taking in a dog, I know it is going to be a crap shoot... You hope you have enough information to determine if the rescue has enough resources to resolve any issues - be it health or otherwise - but you don't really know ahead of time... We could return these kinds of situations to the shelter, but that is not what we do... 

Such is the case with Abby... A three month old female Chi we found in a shelter in 2009... Bred to get that damned 'teacup' size in such demand, at first glance Abby appeared to just have case of demodex going on... TLC has had great success with this particular health issue and so it did not intimidate us, nor stop us from saying yes to Abby... 

Abby & Nacho

Once pulled, we discovered Abby had digestion issues as well... A propensity for collapsing trachea now common in the down-sized breeding being done in both the Yorkie and the Chihuahua thanks to the celebrities who causes a glut of production in both breeds... This health issue cause the dog or pup to become reluctant to eat because of the pain associated with it, or to consistently throw up what they eat... Rapidly losing weight is an issue in a 4 pound dog, and they can easily lose 25% of their body weight in a week or so...  

It was almost a daily battle to stabilize her weight loss or gain along with battling the demodex but for a time, we thought we were getting ahead of it... Because vets are reluctant to spay or neuter a dog with demodex because of the issues associated with the health condition, this means as a rescue the dog is not yet adoptable... 

For months we were making trips to the vet's office about every 2-3 weeks, trying to find the 'silver bullet' between the digestion issue and the demodex problem... We considered ourselves lucky when the vet bill did not go over $100 for a visit, frankly... 

Abby with splint

And with all hard cases, you always seem to be right there at the end in fixing everything when something else pops up, and you are back to square one... Abby was coming down a set of doggie steps and did something to her right front leg... Initially the vet thought that they could set it and the leg would repair itself naturally... 

So we went through that episode as we tried the splint, getting it changed every several days, more Xrays to see the progress, etc... 

Eventually the vet decided it was not going to heal properly on its own, but that surgery was required... The initial estimate was $1200 and at the time, I debated with myself over whether I was doing the right thing or not... You can never recoup the costs of a 'hard case' with the adoption donation - we know that... But when you are long over that adoption donation amount, it becomes a case of "we have come too far now to quit" so I authorized the surgery to repair the leg... 

Abby as tri-pod

On the operating table, the vet opened the leg and the growth plate fell out and onto the floor... Later she explained to us that as these breeders breed down and down in size, the bone structure of these small breeds are compromised to point even a mis-step can break a joint or bone...  While on the operating table, Abby's systems started to go haywire and it became simply a matter of stabilizing her to simply save her life...  We had two choices - to either let her die or to amputate the leg and do the necessary things in recovery to help her through... I opted to save her life and remove the leg... The rescue is now up to about $4500 on this one small YOUNG dog that appeared highly adoptable at the shelter visit... 

Abby made it through the surgery and learned to get around as a tri-pede... She had a sweet disposition and dealt well enough with each and every trial she had to go through... 

We finally figured we were now ahead of the it all and the worst was behind us... But the digestion issues came back as did the demodex and Abby spent the last two months of her life throwing up, losing weight, meds and nutrition being switched, gaining back a bit and then regressing again until her body just gave up at the age of about 18 months old... 

Cost to TLC?  Close to $6,000... R.I.P. our dear Abby - you were loved deeply and we are sorry we somehow still failed to save your life... 

Venus's arrival

And that is just ONE 'hard case' of the many we have taken on throughout the years... 

Someone contacted us about a litter of three small Chi mix puppies at a local shelter who had demodex, and by the time we were able to bail them out of the shelter, one had already died from ivermectin toxicity while under the care of a county vet... 

Eros and Venus came to us in pretty bad shape - especially Venus who looked like she was going to lose her right eye... 

Venus ready for adoption

Months later we not only saved her life, Eros and Venus were able to make it onto a transport going up North where there is a shortage of these small dogs and they are HIGHLY desired... 

It is not only demodex or skin issues that land a small dog on a shelter's kill list... Sometimes it is behavioral and they don't get adopted because of aggression, fear shyness or simply because they are just another 'non descript tan Chihuahua'... Such is the case with Sheldon who was SO afraid to look you directly in the eyes we could not take a decent photo of him... 

SCARED Sheldon

Some of these fear shyness dogs are SO afraid of the world and shy, they become targets of other dogs they are around... Their fellow dogs sense the dog is so unbalanced that they must push the dog out of the inner circle or pack... Like we humans do when we see other humans so unlike ourselves - true...

While Sheldon finally learned how to deal with his fellow canines, it was a long leap from the time we found him in a high kill shelter and when he became adoptable, friendly and trusted humans enough to love them... 

Sheldon got adopted in November of 2011, but was returned to us a few months later when the person felt she just didn't have enough time in her life for a dog... Not Sheldon's fault at all, but once again he became homeless despite us being diligent in screening the adopter for their level of commitment...He quickly captured someone else's heart and got adopted...

Sheldon NOW

Fast forward to last month when in April we received a call from the local shelter after Sheldon was turned into them by the adopter... For the third time in his very short life, Sheldon has been homeless three times - and through no real fault of his own - beyond being one of those 'non descript tan Chihuahuas' that flood our shelters in Southern California...

In fact?   Sheldon is still homeless and still up for adoption with us... 

Onto part 2 ~~~

Bathtime for Barkley

Barkley & the Bathing Brigade

After seeing the vet on Monday, we changed the scheduling for bathing Barkley with the medicated shampoos... We normally bathe demo dogs every two days for the first two weeks so we can get ahead of the condition, but the vet felt once every three days would be sufficient... 

Kathryn normally comes in just once a week on Thursdays as part of TLC's "Bathing Brigade" but she agreed to be in charge of Barkley's bathing if we rescued him... So on Tuesday she arrived early to do his bath - it takes a LOT of time to do with Barkley because he's so big and so much extra stuff needs to be done... 

Barkley is really a good sport about all of this though... He's now at 85 pounds so it takes two of us (female) volunteers to lift him into our wet grooming station at the rescue shop... Someone grabs the front half of him and the other half is lifted by someone else... Most big dogs do NOT like being lifted up and off their feet, so this is not only a challenge because it is not something they are accustomed to (or enjoy like little dogs), plus you have all of that weight to lift (and safely)...

Kathryn and Barkley... sharing secrets!

Barkley has almost come to enjoy this aspect of his new life though... He gets lots and lots of massages as we wait the 10 minutes for the medicated shampoo to do its work... And sweet talk... Cuddles... Treats as he waits... 

Thankfully, we buy this medicated shampoo by the gallon, even as expensive as it is... And we had it in stock to take on the 'Barkley Bath' every three days... 

At TLC we have two grooming stations - one wet and one dry... We have several groomers as volunteers and the stations are set up according to their standards and needs... 

We have a custom made insert for the wet grooming station that normally stays in place - it is better on your back because we bathe a lot of small dogs so you are not having to lean into it and then and down when bathing... In Barkley's case, we have to remove the insert, disinfect the entire tub first and then lift him into it... So it really does become a major process to bathe just one dog like Barkley... 

All done! Until 3 days from now!

The bathing brigadiers as they are called, are organized and trained by one of our senior volunteers, Teri... She keeps the grooming supplies replenished (out of her own pocket) and the volunteers scheduled... They generally come in (one a day) after the shop is opened and cleaned... They work through our dogs and puppies, one by one, so that each TLC dog is bathed at least once every 10 days... It is a complicated system, so we are grateful that Kathryn stepped up and took Barkley on as her special bathing project!

The bathing brigade is another module of the TLC's rehabilitation process... Most dogs don't care to get wet or being bathed... And we INTENTIONALLY ask the brigadiers to not push through dogs like a production line... We ask them to take time and cuddle, reassure the dogs this is a good thing... And at the end - nice, warm and dry - we have special treats the dogs just love... So with a few baths, they all come to look forward to their baths... By the time they are ready for adoption, their new owners don't struggle with this part of the adoption process...

Just another one of the unseen aspects of TLC and what we do!  If you have time to devote once a week, we'd love to have you become part of TLC's bathing brigade.  If you don't know how to professional bath a dog, we have professionals that will teach you... All the tools and supplies are provided... You just need old clothes, dedication and a desire to help us all march towards the victory of No-Kill in our communities!